Joshua 2:10 is Rahab, a woman of Jericho, telling two Israelite spies why she has protected them. She has heard the stories of what the LORD did for Israel at the Red Sea and in the defeat of two Amorite kings, and that news has convinced her that the God of these people is real and powerful. The verse is spoken by Rahab to the spies sent by Joshua to scout the city before the conquest of Canaan.
For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when you came out of Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
Joshua 2:10 (WEB)
What Joshua 2:10 Means
Rahab begins with “we have heard,” which tells you that her knowledge of the LORD came through reports, not personal witness. The reports concern two events. The first is the drying of the water of the Red Sea “before you, when you came out of Egypt,” the escape from Pharaoh that Israel’s history remembered as the defining act of rescue. The second is the defeat of Sihon and Og, two kings east of the Jordan, whom Israel “utterly destroyed.” Rahab’s word “utterly” signals that Israel’s victories were total, leaving no survivors among those kings’ forces.
The verse explains why Rahab acts as she does, but it does not promise that every foreigner who hears about God will be saved, nor does it describe Rahab’s faith as complete or fully formed. It shows a woman who has recognized that the people now at her door belong to a God who has already proven stronger than the nations around her. Her fear and her confession are the starting point of a faith that the rest of her story will develop.
The Context of Joshua 2:10
The book of Joshua records Israel’s entry into the land promised to their ancestors, and it is traditionally attributed to Joshua himself, with later editorial additions. Its first audience was the people of Israel, who needed to know that the conquest of Canaan was grounded in God’s faithfulness and not in their own strength. Chapter 2 pauses the narrative of crossing the river to show the spies at work in Jericho, where Rahab has hidden them on her roof.
Read in context, verse 10 is part of Rahab’s appeal in verses 9 through 13. Right after it, she says her heart “melted,” and she asks the spies to swear by the LORD that they will deal kindly with her family. The verse therefore serves as her reason for asking for mercy. Because she has recognized the LORD’s power, she is willing to trust the spies’ oath and to stake her household’s survival on it.
Key Phrases in Joshua 2:10
Exodus 14:21
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
(WEB)
This verse describes the LORD driving back the sea so that Israel could cross on dry ground, the very event Rahab recalls in Joshua 2:10. Reading the original account helps you see the scene that gave her confidence in Israel’s God.
Joshua 6:25
But Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lives in the middle of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
(WEB)
This verse records that Rahab and her family were spared when Jericho fell, showing that the mercy she asked for in chapter 2 was granted. It answers the question of what came of her faith and her request.
A Short Prayer From Joshua 2:10
Lord, you have shown your power in the history of your people, from the waters of the sea to the defeat of kings who opposed them. Help me to remember what you have done, and to let that memory strengthen my trust in you when I feel afraid. Give me the humility of Rahab, who recognized your power and asked for mercy. Where I am unsure of the outcome, teach me to rest in your faithfulness, and where I need kindness from others, give me the courage to ask for it honestly. Amen.
